Last week, the town of Breckenridge, under the leadership of mayor and town dentist Dr. John Warner, made the decision to continue fluoridating water to benefit oral health. Despite nearly three decades of water fluoridation, the topic has been a longstanding debate between the health community and anti-fluoride activists in the ski town. Thanks to the efforts and support of the Summit Community Care Clinic and local health department, a majority of town council members were in favor of maintaining community water fluoridation in the town of Breckenridge.

By April 2015, dental practices that renew x-ray certification labels will see a $10 increase on label fees. Most dental offices renew certification labels once every three years. You will see this $10 increase the next time your labels are renewed. There is no change in the renewal schedule. In early April, the state will also send out invoices for a new annual $50 radiation machine facility registration fee. Dentists will be required to pay this fee and update facility information every year.

Last summer, one of the state’s dental insurance plans implemented a new provider rating system—a three-star “designation” system based solely on treatment fees. Under this rating system, dentists with higher fees for services would get lower ratings, and dentists with lower fees would get higher ratings. During the 2015 legislative session, the CDA is running a bill that would disallow this practice in the future. Far more than simply the cost of care should be included in the design of a provider rating system for the public.

Many insurance companies have begun paying claims with virtual credit cards. But practitioners end up paying more than they would via an electronic funds transfer (EFT) or a paper check. When insurance companies use virtual credit cards, the practitioner is required to write off a portion of the amount charged to the insurer for the services rendered and also is charged a transaction fee to run the card to receive reimbursement for the claim. It also can be more time-consuming for the staff member in charge of processing the transaction.

Christian Piers, CU School of Dental Medicine student (class of 2016), was elected president of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) on Feb. 21. He will lead the association for the 2015-2016 term.